An Everfree Excursion (20monkies)

[20monkies]

Raven watched Dark Star carefully, taking in her minute movements and slight hesitation at the bridge. It was true – the bridge was rather intimidating. Raven even crossed over it, with hoof grazing along the wooden planks as her life support in case her wing failed her. It appeared sturdy enough even with the feather light touch she had on the bridge.

But the mare wasn’t sure what Dark Star was going to do – she had never seen a unicorn perform a transportation spell before. This was going to be a first, since she never really had much company with unicorns in the first place. Eye’s narrowing in curiosity, head tilting to the side, the dark mare disappeared in a flash of brilliant red light that was nearly blinding. And then she reappeared, and Raven couldn’t help but feel awed by the magic.

“Some day, you may have to explain to me how your magic works. That was truly amazing. I am quite taken by it.” She praised the other, admiring her talent for the very first time. “You really are talented. And your eyes, how they match your glow. Incredible.” The smile on her face widened.

“I’m sure we will find something of the sort within the castle ruins itself. Be grateful it wasn’t anything dangerous as the Giant Mousetrap.” Raven crossed over the path along with Dark Star, finally facing the structure. It wasn’t as foreboding as it looked from a distance. It’s magnificence was in that the Princess sister’s lived here once, and ruled Equestria from this post in the past.

“It’s beautiful, in a strange way.” She murmured, examining the wall and the light dusting of mist that seemed to hover along the ground. Raven swept her hoof across the motes that danced along the surface. There were strange echoes bouncing off the walls inside, considering that it was mostly open to the sky when standing in the interior of the structure. Her crystal blue eyes gazed up, hood falling back from the motion, taking in the details of the ruined castle. There were hints of reconstruction and some amount of cleanliness, as some ponies must have been trying to restore it to it’s former glory.

A few birds fluttered by, and disappeared through a corridor. Raven looked towards Dark Star and smiled at her. “Well, this is truly amazing. I feel like I have stepped back in time.”

[Dark Star]

"I'm certain there are a few others more capable of explaining how teleportation spells work. From what I know, it's all about focusing your energy on an object and the place you want it to be moved to, the amount of energy used based on the distance traveled. That's just my speculation after having used the spell for so long" Dark Star explained in response to Raven's curiosity. The dark mare had never really given much thought into knowing how spells like that even existed, though she didn't really linger on the topic for long as the two of them had finally made it to the castle.

The surface of the building had aged significantly, as to be expected of a structure so old. What wasn't expected however, was how much of the castle seemed to be repaired, completely unnoticeable from the distance the bridge presented. "I guess some nice so-an-so came here and restored some of it" Dark Star commented. As Raven mentioned, the feeling of looking at the castle now was just the same as walking backwards in time. "If it were the case, I wonder if we could see the princesses before Princess Luna became..." she trailed off in almost a whisper. Her eyes closed and images of what she'd heard of Nightmare Moon came to mind. She shuddered for a moment before opening her eyes and gaining a look of determination in place of her frightened expression.

She walked over to a large door, assumable the entrance, and opened it using her magic. She strolled inside, Raven following in her wake (she hoped), and entered. The hallway leading to the throne room was mostly dark, though there were a few small beams of light coming in through the cracks and other holes still present on the walls and ceiling. "Even in ruins, this hall stills retains its regal beauty" she said as her eyes began to glow. Soon after, her horn flared up in a red aura and a ball of ominous, red light emerged from the tip of it, illuminating the entirety of the room in a crimson aura. "We should be careful; I heard that there were a few traps set every here and there that are activated at the slightest-" she stopped and raised a leg up, blocking Raven's path. She looked down and saw a off-colored section of the marble floor, then lowered her leg down. "Even the slightest mistake in footing" she finished.

[20monkies]

Raven was quite intrigued by the explanation Dark Star gave her concerning teleportation. Not that she really wanted to do that herself, since she had her wings and hooves to take her wherever she needed to go. It was just a mere curiosity, her need to learn and grow and better herself that caused her to asked the question. And she was glad that Dark Star was able to at least give some insight to it.

Taking a couple of steps into the structure itself, her gaze wandered over the walls and artwork that still clung to them, torn but in the works of being restored.

"What ever do you mean by that?" Raven asked, tilting her head curiously. How could they possibly go back in actual time to see what it was like over a thousand years ago? That would definitely require a ton of magical power, someone with advanced spells. Dark Star didn't seem like the sort to Raven… but then again, what did she know of unicorn magic? "I would hope we couldn't go back in real time. Just the calming feeling of walking where the Princesses once walked is enough for me."

Raven's words also trailed off for a moment, following after the dark mare into the throne room.

"It does… it is quite beautiful in it's own way." Raven agreed, washed over with the red aura of Dark Star's light. It made the room appear more ominous and threatening than it should have, and Raven felt a little nervous in it.

"Perhaps, we should…" her hoof froze mid air, as the other stopped her in her path. She looked down and noticed the off-colored section as well and raised a brow at her. "Hmn… one can never be too careful, I suppose. But I am curious." Raven took her hoof back and walked around the tile, being cautious of each of her steps before coming to the stairs that lead up to the seat of the thrones.

In her travels, Raven was often quite careful of where she tread. She was quite alert and did her best in remembering where things were… so as she climbed up the stairs, she did so slowly, and steadily. All too soon, her hoof landed on a small indent that caused it to become impressed further down from her weight. Raven froze, a clicking sound following the pressure.

She quickly turned to look at Dark Star, her eyes widening. Unsure of what to expect, she hurried back down the stairs towards the other before the floor opened up beneath her and swallowed her into the darkness below. In a split moment, Raven spread her wings to fly back up before the ground closed up on her and trapped her in.

Raven made it safely back as the opening shut itself, and she stood there looking baffled.

"Well, I suppose extra precautions should be taken. Or, are you still wanting to explore here?" she asked, her hair a bit out of place from the momentary shock.

[Dark Star]

Raven seemed a little distraught over Dark Star's desire to see the princesses in a past era. Perhaps the idea seemed to unsettle the other mare for some reason? Dark Star didn't care much to delve into it, feeling just as contempt as Raven merely by being in the halls. "I suppose time travel is nothing more than a fable passed throughout the ages" she stated solemnly.

Raven seemed to take her cautions quite nicely as she looked down at the tile. She commented how curious she was and Dark Star frowned. Before she could say the obvious line-curiosity killed the cat-Raven was already out of earshot. She began to climb up the stairs leading to the thrones, but then stepped when one of the steps seemed to sink into the staircase. Raven looked back at Dark Star with wide eyes, making the former's eyes go wide and glow in response. Immediately, she ran down and started making towards her, leaping over an opening in the floor in order to do so. Dark Star flared her horn up in preparation, little as it was needed as Raven landed just beside her. Her eyes calmed down and she sighed a breath of relief. "Don't worry me like that" she said in a tone befitting a parent scolding a child.

She magically lifted Raven back onto her hooves and dusted her off with her own. Raven asked if they should be more careful or simply leave. "I'd much rather we stick around, but I can't stand the thought of losing you. Maybe there's some kind of compromise here..." she trailed off as she looked to the side. The gears of her mind began to turn as she took a look towards the door. She gasped in realization and rushed outside, calling out "Follow me, I have an idea!" back to Raven. She gave Raven a few minutes to catch up and smiled when she did. "Do you remember when Sky Bolt mentioned a spell that allows non-pegasi to walk on clouds?" she asked. Using her eyes, she motioned to a few stray clouds withing flying distance just above the castle. "I was thinking, maybe the two of us should use the clouds to move around the castle. All the traps, as far as I can tell are pressure sensitive, so by staying off the floor, we should be safe" she explained. She gave Raven a moment to let things sink in, hoping she'd be able to comply.

[20monkies]

It was an odd feeling to have a mare fuss over her as she felt herself lifted up by Dark Star's magic, touching the ground with her hooves more sturdily than she was off balance before. Even being dusted off, was a strange experience. Raven was used to dusting herself off and fixing herself up. Perhaps this was one thing that friends usually did for others, when they were worried for you. Raven paused, her expression blank as she watched Dark Star's movements, listening to her speaking.

"Losing… me?" She asked, confused by the statement. Why would Dark Star think as such? Raven never heard another pony refer to her in this manner before, save for that one time… but still. They were powerful words. "I don't believe you will be losing me any time soon. I have travelled the world and have faced many dangers, more threatening that just now." She smiled, trying to lighten the mood. To show Dark Star that she was not a weakling in any manner of way. Tilting her head to the side, Raven followed after Dark Star.

She listened carefully, and blinked up as they stood outside looking up towards the sky with the few stray clouds.

"Ah. Yes, I do recall her saying something of the sort." Her wings twitched under her cloak. "That is a great idea. But surely, we will have to be very, very careful with the clouds as well. I am able to manoeuvre around upon the cloud with ease. Have you ever tried it before?" Raven was sure she could just fly up and bring down a few tufts of cloud for them to climb aboard.

"There may be traps and triggers that are off the ground. Enchanted spells to block passageways." Raven had seen a few of those before on her scavenges, but they weren't nearly as bad. These, assuming, were more of the non-threatening side of things if the sister's were the ones to have created them.

[Dark Star]

Raven had mentioned her memory of such a spell just as Dark Star thought. This boosted her confidence by a significant amount, though was put into perspective as the white pegasus questioned her ability to use the spell. "After our first meeting, I had Sky Bolt teach me the spell, and every day after that, I practiced using it as much as I could until I got the hang of it. I'm absolutely certain that this will work, trust me" she assured. In her mind, the gears were turning once again, and her eyes began to glow as she focused only on the spell alone.

Once her moment of concentration was over, Raven brought her thoughts back to Earth. She warned that there would be several spells and other traps that wouldn't be able to avoid, even if they weren't on the ground to trigger them. This made Dark Star think a bit further about the plan; She wasn't able to undo any kind of magical lock or anything sealed off, so there would be no way to advance through the ruins (or lack thereof, as the case may be) in case they ran into a roadblock of just the type. "It's like the old expression goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat" she started. "In case we run into anything like that, we can always simply return the way we came and try a different path" she told her solemnly. She looked back up at the sky and began to think about what it is they may encounter once they get passes the twin thrones in the main hall.

[20monkies]

So Dark Star had learned the levitation spell from Sky Bolt? Raven hummed at the thought of this, staring up at the sky. She was on the tips of her hooves, ready to leap into the air and test out her ability further to bring down some of the tufts of clouds for Dark Star when her voice brought her back around.

Swinging her head, her own icy gaze meeting with the fiery red eyes, a smile spread from cheek to cheek.

"Aside from skinning a cat, which I don't believe would settle well with Black, I think we will be able to manage whatever comes in our path. You have magic and I have wings. We can figure out a way to handle the situations as they present themselves." If anything dangerous should show… which Raven highly doubted. After all, what was the worst thing that could possibly happen to the both of them?

Without so much as an indication of what she was about to do, Raven leapt up into the air and spread her wings out. They felt somewhat stronger, more sturdier than she had ever imagined. The small flight that she had done across the bridge had given her some confidence in herself to try flying higher up.

The wind backed up against the beating of her wings, forcing herself to move higher and higher up into the sky. Her hood flapped backwards against the breeze, hair whipping behind her. As she reached the peak to where the clouds were, she hovered. Her wings did feel strong, but there was a bit of a waver in her flight. She held out on her balance and pushed the tufts gently downwards with her nose, diving downwards in a swift motion before landing back onto the ground.

"How is this?" She asked, smiling contently with herself. "I hope this is alright for your spell. I believe I should be okay with hovering on my wings."

[Dark Star]

Dark Star was impressed by how Raven assured confidence in their individual safety. Without any further sound aside from her wings flapping, the white pegasus shot up into the sky. Dark Star had been living with Slipstream for so long, she had assumed all pegasi left a gust of wind in their wake when they took off, so she was greatly surprised when Raven didn't even create a breeze for her to feel. She watched as Raven gently plucked a moderately sized tuft of cloud from the sky and then gently descended back onto the ground. The white pegasus questioned whether or not her spell would work on the amount of cloudy material she had gather, to which Dark Star nodded to. "It's perfect, I'm certain this will work. Thank you for gathering it, Raven" she stated gratefully.

Dark Star closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her horn flared up in her usual red aura and soon the color of the cloud changed to match it. Her hooves also glowed a noticeably brighter shade of red for a moment. A few seconds later, the entire cloud was dyed red with her magic, before fading to its usual white color, just with a red outline. Dark Star's eyes fluttered open, breathing heavily as she observes the fruit her labor. "Alright, let's see if it worked fully" Dark Star trailed off as she reared up on her hind-legs and hopped up onto the cloud. She stood on the cloud fully and didn't sink through, just as she knew would work. She smiled at the success of her spell. "Excellent, now to make certain I can move it with my magic" she said as her horn flared up once again. The cloud moved forward, then backward, then from side to side. Then it ascended higher, and descended back to a safe two feet above the ground.

"Alright, I guess we can move on now" Dark Star stated. Without much else to speak on, she moved the cloud back inside the castle walls, rotating it to face Raven as she caught up. She then moved ahead slowly, stopping and looking at each of the different hallways that seemed to go on endlessly. She turned back and looked at Raven, asking "Which way do you think we should explore first?" with a slight slow in her eyes. She lied down and rested her front-legs at the base of the cloud as she waited for Ravens answer. 

[20monkies]

Watching with great intensity, Raven Feather was intrigued by how Dark Star's horn flared up with it's red aura. She had seen how unicorns worked their magic, and was pretty used to it considering that her father was also a unicorn. She had seen the various colours lighting objects to move them with their will and power. It seemed a little show offy, but then again the dark mare may have felt the same about Raven Feather with her ability to fly.

She tried not to judge, always giving others the benefit of a doubt. Not every pony was the same as the previous Raven Feather had met, and she did not want to shut out anypony that wanted to at least become acquainted with her.

As the cloud was wrapped in a blanket of red, Raven continued to watch in amusement as Dark Star tested out her control with the cloud, tilting her head every now and again.

"It appears we can." Turning to face the structure of the ruins once again, Raven thought about where to go, following Dark Star while she checked out each of the hallways.

"Well, I am not completely familiar here. But it may be best to explore the better lit corridor to gain a better understanding of the castle itself, and go on from there. This way, we shall be able to spot anything out of the ordinary as well." She stepped lightly on her hooves, wings now open and at the ready as they pushed her cloak away to gain some space and air around them. She floated up, hovering while gently moving her wing so that she could stay close to Dark Star.

Peering down a hall that had flaming torches lined up and down the walls, Raven stopped shortly before it.

"Let us go this way." She stated before moving forward, assuming that Dark Star would follow after her. It was dusty and murky, with pebbles and dust coating the stone ground. It was as though no other pony had come down here before, but the lighting of the torches still made it ominous. Who had lit these? Surely, there was something or another more mysterious hiding down in the shadows…

[Dark Star]

Raven explained that the pair of mares should venture down a path already lit up, which Dark Star nodded at. "I can't use my illumination spell while floating like this anyway, so that's probably for the best. Luckily, I still retain my nocturnal vision, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about if we run out of light" she added. She blinked a few times and then followed slowly after the silver mare, making certain not to move too fast or too slow. The corridor they went along was filled to brim with dust and had an awful moldy smell that seemed to stretch on for hours. Dark Star hated it so much, that she pinched her nostrils together by pressing both of her hooves over her muzzle. She nearly forgot where she was for a moment and levitated her cloudy locomotion into the side of wall, snapping her back into reality immediately afterwords.

She got back in control and kept up the pace behind Raven, pondering a few things as she did so. She glanced over and finally noticed how many torches were lit along the corridor. "Strange...?" Dark Star thought aloud. Her horn focused on one of the torches and levitated close to her, examining it thoroughly. "These torches were lit recently, sometime within the last few weeks or so by the look of it. Some pony-most likely the one responsible for restoring a portion of the castle-must've lit these as he/she was exploring the deeper parts of the castle. I'd wager the deed to my house that sooner or later, we would find more evidence of them having been here within a few minutes" she elaborated.

It didn't seem that far off to assume there was some-pony was still in the castle, perhaps even as she and Raven were in it. She didn't want to worry Raven with news like that, especially since it was only speculation. For the time being, she would have to simply float behind her feathered friend in silence as she continued to observe the castle walls. Her eyes gave a slight glow as she mulled over the idea of some-pony still in the castle while they were there, but ignored it in order to focus on her cloud; one wrong move and she could be sent into unimaginable pain.

[20monkies]

((I am so, so sorry for such a delayed response! I hope you forgive me for the lateness - you may have seen my notices thread. Again, sorry for the late response! I'm just finally getting back into things))

"Truly, it is indeed a strange thing." Raven Feather stopped a little way further from Dark Star as the dark mare examined the torches that were lit. Raven looked around her, at the ground, the wall, the ceiling. Nothing else seemed to be out of place. No hoof prints, no sign of movement. And yet, there were these lights here flickering with dark shadows dancing behind them.

"Pegasi or Unicorn. Either or must have come down this way. I would assume a pegasus, as there is no other appearance of tread marks along the ground." Her own body hovered above the ground, her wings flapping gently only causing a slight stir in the dust beneath them. Raven had seen lit hallways like this before, in another ruin she had once had to visit before. But nothing like this. She anticipated that they might stumble upon another pony if they were still submerged within the walls of the ruins.

She took hold of one of the torches and continued forward, just in case she needed the flame for a space that no longer had light.

Sure enough, they came into a larger foyer with several different hallways leading out in various directions. A couple of doors were left jarred open, with nothing but dusty boxes and books spilling across it's floor.

Peering into the room with the raised torch, Raven looked around and pulled back out to turn towards Dark Star.

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary here. Is there any sign of where this pony may have gone? I'm curious to how deep this castle goes…" Raven Feather was being careful, examining, pondering as her gaze finally fell towards one of the paths that led to a dead end.

"Hoof prints." She pointed to the ground, locking gazes with Dark Star.

[Dark Star]

"It must've been" Dark Star agreed to Ravens assumption of a pegasus having been through the castle sometime earlier. Considering the lack of hoofprints, it was the most logical thing to consider. Still, it left an unsettling feeling with the dark mare as her mind began to wander about, considering all sorts of different possibilities at this point. Somehow, some-pony else was giving her a chilly feeling going through her spine without even having done anything truly deserving of it. The two mares reached another hallway-ridden foyer of sorts and were left with a series of dead ends...until Raven pointed out a set of hoofprints leading to one of the dead ends. 

Dark Stars eyes lit up immediately and she began to quake on her cloud. 'So there WAS another pony that came through here' she thought timidly. She began to bite down on one of her hooves nervously as she floated forward, tilting the cloud ever so slightly so that she could get a closer look at the tracks. After a bit of time passed, she turned back and glanced at Raven, her eyes glowing a much brighter shade of red now. "These tracks are very recent, I'd say at least as recent as yesterday in fact" she stated with a slight hint of fear in her voice. She floated back towards Raven with a wary expression, then glanced at the wall the tracks lead to. 

"Raven...I'm a bit scared of what we might encounter if we remain in this castle much longer" she stated as she started to shake, her eyes now flashing on and off in color, almost like a warning light. The dark mare pulled out a black vial from her bag and quickly downed its contents, the action forcing the glow in her eyes to become much more brilliant than earlier. "I won't stop you if you want to continue, but I want you to stay ahead of me in case we do encounter something...or someone" she pleaded. Dark Star was never known for being overly courageous, even during her more bold attempts at making new friends, but she was known for being sensible, even it meant showing her cowardice in front of others. The dark mare merely floated in front of Raven with an unsure expression, hoping that she'd be able to make the right decision.

(Not a ploy to end the thread, just the more timid part of my character being showed off in a possibly-threatening environment) 

[20monkies]

Seeing the younger mare grow more nervous by the second had Raven concerned. Whatever it was that had the other so frightened, she had never seen it in her before.

The more bold and courageous part of Dark Star seemed to have gotten lost in an instant. Raven's own nerves made her feel uneasy, but it only made her bolder and stronger in turn.

Her crystal gaze falling back upon the ground, her wings gently flapping to keep her above the ground, she moved forward herself to examine the wall where the tracks seemed to head in. It was strange, because it disappeared just at the joint where the wall was erected from the ground. It was quite possible that the wall was a moving wall, and lead into a different part of the Ruins.

Looking over her shoulder, Raven watched as Dark Star drank something from a black vial and gave her a questioning look.

"I hope that is more to calm your nerves, whatever it is. I thought you had wanted to come here and explore the castle ruins in the first place. I know we can deal with whatever comes our way." She glided towards the dark mare and held a hoof out towards her, giving her a kind and warm smile. "I'll stay at the front, but you will also have to cover my back in case something sneaks up behind us." There was no telling if whoever it was or whatever it was, was no longer down this path. Still, Raven's own curiousity got the better of her and made her all the more alert and aware of what they were heading into.

Examining the tiles along the ground, there appeared a small shift in the dust where one of the hoofprints looked more smudged than normal.

Bracing herself, Raven lowered herself and pressed one of her own hooves down to the exact same spot, before an indent was made and the tile clicked down in place.

The sounds of gears shifting could be heard and Raven looked up and around them. The opening behind them closed almost immediately, with the crashing of a wall from a hidden space. Infront of them, the wall slid upwards with a grating sound that pierced the ears. Raven had to shut her eyes and wince at the sound – it was like pins and needles running up and down her spine.

Once the noises stopped, Raven hesitated by keeping her hoof down on the tile.

"I think you need to move forward into the space before I can let go. It might shut down on us immediately with little to no time remaining between movement." Raven took in a deep breath, and steadied herself. She knew that within moments, she was going to have to haul herself forward with great speed. Speed her wings were still getting accustomed to.

[Dark Star]

Dark Stars nerves were completely shot by the idea of some-pony else being in the ruins with her. If not for Raven being there with her, the dark mare surely would've fled in terror. Luckily, she was, so Dark Star managed to feel at ease. The silver pegasus turned and questioned what it was she was drinking, to which Dark Star responded "It's just something to keep me awake during the day". She could tell there questions forming, so she answered them before Raven could even ask. "I'm nocturnal, runs in the family on my mothers side" she explained. Raven then mentioned how the entire excursion was Dark Stars idea, then confidently spoke of how they'd be able to handle whatever came their way, making the nervous mare worry.

Lucky for the dark unicorn, Raven reassured her about how she would stay at the front, but then mentioned how Dark Star would need to cover the rear. The dark unicorn smiled lightly at her attempts to encourage her. "Alright, I'll keep the rear covered. It's a good thing too; my sense of hearing is slightly more adept than others, so the chances of something sneaking up on us would be low" she stated softly. After their little pep-talk, Raven went over and examined the wall. After a small amount, she pressed down on a tile and immediately after, the entrance they had come through slammed shut. Meanwhile, the wall where the tracks lead started sliding up, creating an incredibly irritating scraping noise in the process.

Dark Stars ears nearly popped from all the racket. She placed both of her hooves over her ears and even started to descend towards the ground at a dangerous speed. If not for the dark mares willpower, she'd have fallen smack-dab on the ground. She managed to keep herself airborne, but barely. Eventually, the wall was up at the very top, and Dark Star sighed in relief. Raven quickly instructed Dark Star to go over to the other side, not knowing whether or not they'd be able to continue if she took the pressure off the tile. Dark Star was caught at a cross-road now; She wasn't certain whether or not what would happen was true, but at the same time, she couldn't risk going through that ordeal a second time. Without hesitation, she levitated her cloudy locomotion forward until she was on the other end of it. She turned and looked towards Raven, hoping dearly that she'd be able to cross it in time. She knew how fast pegasi were capable of flying, but she didn't know whether or not it'd be true in Ravens state.

[20monkies]

As Dark Star crossed over to the other side of the wall, Raven had to focus on herself. The other was safe, as long as she didn't get caught under the wall. And Raven was sure that Dark Star had distanced herself just enough so that she wasn't in any danger. She had to make sure she was safe, ensuring the safety of others before her own self.

Whatever dangerous situation encountered, Raven always had a tendency to put herself in the line of fire and risk her own life for the sake other ponies.

A small bead of sweat formed on her brow.

Her mind focussed, her wings stretched out as the tips barely grazed against the walls on either side of the hall, Raven narrowed her eyes. Her hoof continued to press down into the tile, making sure that it was as far as it could go. The walls did not seem to shudder or falter with her weight. The even distribution of pressure made it so that they stayed where they were. But for how long? Would the front slam shut, and the wall behind her re-open in a simultaneous manner?

There was only one way to find out.

As she let out a breath, she launched herself forward as fast as she could. Raven knew the second she released the tile under her, the wall just in front of her, now above her, was creaking and scraping it's way down. The wall was coming down with great speed, almost bearing down on Raven in the split second movement it took for her to fly forward and a wall to come shutting down. As soon as she crossed the border of the wall, her tail was nearly caught beneath the crushing of the wall. A few strands remained plucked from her, but no other harm had come to her.

Raven was breathing heavily, panting with the strain she had put on herself. It was nearly exhausting with all the focussed energy in her wings. They were now tingling with an odd sensation.

"Well… at least, I was right." She said between breaths, smiling at Dark Star.

"Are you… okay? I hope I did not frighten you. But I'm well. Not even a scratch." Raven calmed her beating heart and shut her eyes, steadying her centre of gravity before looking at the room they had come into.

It was a great gallery, filled with books and artwork and artefacts. Raven couldn't help but think that they had come into the library of the sisters.